Kimuchi

At June 16, 2010
By megan
In cabbage, CSA Challenge, kimuchi, pickled things, Savory Spice Shop
0

With one head of napa cabbage from Ollin Farm’s CSA I made Kimchi. With the second head, I tried the Japanese version: Kimuchi.

Again, I followed the instructions in The Joy of Pickling:

1 head napa cabbage, cored
3.5 TB pickling salt
1 medium sized carrot, thinly sliced and slivered
1 apple, coarsely grated
3 scallions chopped into thin rounds
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TB Korean ground dried hot pepper (thanks again to Savory Spice Shop)
1 cup water

The book says to halve the cabbage and then quarter it to gently separate the leaves, and then sprinkle them with 3 tablespoons of salt, rubbing it into the leaves. Set this aside in a large bowl, covered with a weighted plate for 8-10 hours.

Next, drain and rinse the cabbage, gently squeezing out excess liquid. Cut the cabbage into 1-inch squares, mix with the rest of the ingredients, pack into a jar, and wait… with a loosely fit lid for 3-6 days. Then tighten the lid and store in the fridge.

Definitely consult a legitimate reference for any canning or pickling. I am no expert here!

Kimchi

At June 16, 2010
By megan
In cabbage, CSA Challenge, kimchi, pickled things, Savory Spice Shop
0

Our CSA from Ollin Farms had 2 large heads of napa cabbage. I had never bought napa cabbage. Never cooked with it. Never did anything with it, ever. So, I had no idea what to do with 2 large heads of napa cabbage.

I googled it… turns out napa cabbage, also known as Chinese cabbage, is often used for Kimchi. Since my sister-in-law (or common-in-law if that exists?) lives in Korea, I happen to know what Kimchi is. It is a staple in Korean diets, made of fermented Chinese cabbage.

I recently bought a book titled The Joy of Pickling, and I followed its Kimchi recipe, which reads as follows:

3 TB plus 1 tsp pickling salt
6 cups water
1 large head napa cabbage, cored and cut into 2-inch squares
6 scallions, slivered lengthwise and cut into 2 inch slivers
1.5 TB minced fresh ginger
1.5 TB minced garlic
2 TB Korean ground dried hot pepper
1 tsp sugar

The directions say to dissolve 3 TB of pickling salt in the water, put the cabbage in a large pot, and cover it with the salt water. Weigh it down with a plate and let it sit for 12 hours.

Then you drain it, reserving the brine, and mix it with the rest of the ingredients.

Next, you pack it into a large jar, cover the top with some brine, put a bag into the top of the jar and fill that with brine, and then let it sit and ferment for 3-6 days. We’ll see if I like it.

By the way: I had all of the ingredients at home except for Korean dried peppers, so I went to Savory Spice Shop. Wouldn’t you know… they sell Korean dried peppers!

I ground them in my mortar and pestle. Once again, Savory Spice Shop saved the day!

BBQ Sauce Tofu and Bok Choy Saute

At June 14, 2010
By megan
In Bok Choy, CSA Challenge, Sauce, stir-fry, tofu
0

I make a lot of Asian-inspired tofu dishes, so I decided to think outside of my box. I was in the mood for something with BBQ sauce, but wasn’t going to grill. I had a some beautiful Bok Choy from Ollin Farm’s CSA, which I absolutely love. I came up with a BBQ Sauce Tofu and Bok Choy Saute and served it over wild rice. Very satisfying.

First, I planned a little ahead and removed a firm tofu from the freezer to thaw all day. Then, I made a sauce with:

1/4 cup ketchup
1 TB soy sauce
1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
1/2 TB dried ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
a splash of fish sauce
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tomato, chopped
1 cup water

Mix this well and set aside.

Next, press the excess water out of the tofu and cube it into bite-sized chunks. I chopped half of a yellow onion, 1 large shallot, and 1 clove of garlic. Then I started on the bok choy, chopping the stalks into one pile and the big leafy part into another. These cook differently so it is a good idea to chop them into two piles.

Heat up a wok and add some white wine. Start cooking the onion and shallot for a few minutes before adding the tofu and a couple tablespoons of soy sauce. After a few minutes, add the stalky pieces of bok choy, half of the sauce, and cook for five minutes or so. Finally, add the rest of the bok choy and sauce, cook until it is almost to a boil, and serve over wild rice. Enjoy.

Pound Cake

I was craving Pound Cake. I have no idea why, but I went to bed craving Pound Cake, so I figured out how to make it the next day. Super easy.

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, at room temp
2.5 cups sugar (I used evaporated cane juice)
1 cup sour cream
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (a little less if at altitude)

Preheat the oven to 325 (I started at 350 because of the altitude and dropped it to 325 after 15 minutes)

Cream together the butter and sugar. Next, add the sour cream and vanilla and beat well. Sift the flour and baking soda and have it ready to add. Alternate adding eggs, one at a time, and flour, mixing well in between.

I poured mine into 4 buttered and floured mini loaf pans, as well as 12-muffin pan, so I had a lot of pound cake here!

Bake for 20 minutes or so until it is golden brown and cooked through. Cool on wire racks. Enjoy.